What makes people happy has puzzled philosophers, psychologists, and ordinary people for centuries. Is happiness a gift we carry inside us, immune to outside conditions? Or is it built on the foundations of good jobs, strong relationships, financial comfort, and good health? 



Every year, projects like the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Happiness Report</a> attempt to measure and explain well-being across societies. Yet, the more we explore, the clearer it becomes: happiness isn’t simple, and it certainly isn’t the same for everyone.



A new study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour sheds powerful light on this puzzle. It challenges the idea that happiness follows one clear path. According to lead author Emorie Beck and her team, people find happiness in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-people-believe-they-deserve-good-karma-more-than-others/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">different ways</a> - and what works for one person may not work at all for another.



“We have to understand the sources of happiness to build effective interventions,” said Beck, assistant professor of psychology at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-major-views-on-happiness">Two major views on happiness</h2>



For decades, researchers have debated whether happiness comes from our life circumstances or our inner world. The first model, known as the “bottom-up” approach, argues that happiness builds up from life’s specific parts. 



When people are satisfied with domains such as their job, relationships, income, health, and housing, their overall <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-chasing-happiness-makes-you-feel-worse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life satisfaction</a> improves. This model shapes many public policies and international surveys. These efforts aim to boost happiness by improving access to external goods and services that support well-being.



But life doesn't always support that framework. Some people remain joyful even while facing hardship or loss. They seem untouched by circumstances that might break others. This brings attention to the “top-down” view of happiness. 



This model suggests that personality traits, mindsets, and emotional habits shape how we experience life. It emphasizes mental health practices, therapy, or mindfulness as tools to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/happiness-influences-online-shopping-habits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">improve well-being</a> by adjusting internal attitudes.



“But we all know people in our lives who experience traumatic events yet seem to be happy,” noted Beck.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-perspective-on-happiness">A new perspective on happiness </h2>



The idea that both internal and external <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-increases-feelings-of-hope-happiness-and-gratitude/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forces</a> shape happiness isn’t new. What makes this study stand out is its attempt to measure this interaction across individuals and time. 



According to the third model Beck and her team explored, happiness may flow in both directions. Inner qualities and outer life domains affect each other in ways that are dynamic and complex. From this perspective, targeting either the environment or the mind can make a difference.



But this still leaves many questions unanswered. Do all people follow the same pattern? Do policies based on population averages truly help those they aim to support? To answer these questions, the researchers introduced a fourth idea - a “personalized happiness” perspective.



This new approach proposes that happiness is not universal. Instead, the causes and effects of happiness are idiographic, or specific to each person. What raises happiness for one individual may not move the needle at all for another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decades-of-data-on-happiness">Decades of data on happiness </h2>



To explore these ideas, Beck and her collaborators analyzed an enormous data set. They studied 40,074 people in five countries: Germany, Britain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Australia. 



These participants had taken part in repeated surveys over as many as 33 years. The surveys asked about their overall life <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/who-is-happier-being-single-men-or-women/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">satisfaction</a> and satisfaction in five life areas: work, income, health, housing, and relationships.



“What comes out is that we see roughly equal groups that demonstrate each pattern,” Beck explained.



Some participants fit the bottom-up model. Their happiness closely tracked satisfaction in life’s domains. Others followed a top-down pattern. Their internal well-being remained stable despite changes in their life circumstances. 



Another group showed bidirectional influence, where changes in one area affected the other. Finally, some individuals did not fit any clear model at all.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-personalized-happiness-is-more-than-a-theory">Personalized happiness is more than a theory</h2>



These findings gave weight to the personalized happiness approach. The researchers discovered that the population-level models often failed to match the actual patterns seen in individual lives. 



Between 41.4% and 50.8% of participants showed mostly one-way influences between domain satisfaction and life satisfaction. Only 19.3% to 25.9% showed bidirectional effects.



This shows that population averages often hide personal truths. Happiness, the study reveals, is shaped by unique configurations of traits and experiences. Even two people with similar incomes or job satisfaction may report entirely different levels of happiness.



The data also revealed that some people’s overall satisfaction did not link clearly to any of the measured domains. These individuals may experience satisfaction influenced by broader structural forces or singular life events that were not captured in the surveys.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-therapy">Implications for therapy</h2>



If the aim is to improve happiness for as many people as possible, this research sends a powerful message. One-size-fits-all strategies will not work. Improving healthcare, housing, or income may support some individuals, but not all. 



Likewise, mindfulness programs or therapy-based initiatives may not benefit people whose happiness depends more on external conditions. "Importantly, the most effective policies will be tailored to the individual themselves,” said Beck.



This perspective urges governments, organizations, and mental health practitioners to think differently. Instead of targeting a universal happiness recipe, they should aim to understand the diverse ingredients people draw from to feel fulfilled. 



Doing so might not just improve lives - it may also make public efforts more effective and meaningful.



“These things are treated separately, but they aren’t really. They feed into each other at a personal level,” Beck added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-individual-needs-and-differences">Individual needs and differences </h2>



The idea of personalized happiness, while promising, also presents challenges. The study showed clear individual patterns, but distinguishing those from random variations is difficult. 



Beck and her colleagues suggest that future research needs more precise and innovative methods to capture these subtle trends.



Supported by the <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Institute on Aging</a>, this study lays the groundwork for a more human-centered view of happiness. Rather than assuming happiness is something we all measure in the same way, it invites a deeper respect for individual stories, differences, and needs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-path-doesn-t-fit-all">One path doesn’t fit all</h2>



This research invites us to rethink everything we thought we knew about happiness. It is not an endpoint with a single route. For some, it lies in community or stability. For others, it may come from within - through purpose, peace, or personal growth.



The science is clear: happiness is personal. To understand it, we must listen more closely, not just to the numbers, but to the people behind them.



Other contributors included Joshua Jackson of&nbsp;<a href="https://wustl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Washington University</a>, Felix Cheung of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Toronto</a>, and Stuti Thapa of the&nbsp;<a href="https://utulsa.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Tulsa</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02171-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Human Behaviour</a>.



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Where does happiness come from? It depends on who you are

What makes people happy has puzzled philosophers, psychologists, and ordinary people for centuries. Is happiness a gift we carry inside us, immune to outside conditions? Or is it built on the foundations of good jobs, strong relationships, financial comfort, and good health? Every year, projects like the World Happiness Report attempt to measure and explain well-being across societies. Yet, the more we explore, the clearer it becomes: happiness isn’t simple, and it certainly isn’t the same for everyone. A new study published in the journal Nature Human...

Environmentalists trying to implement greener community farming practices sometimes face tension and obstacles due to differing opinions on how much conservation should be prioritized. 

First-time farmers and traditional family farmers may disagree on everything from the best sustainable practices to religious ideologies, and bridging the gap between these two types of farmers might seem like an impossible task.

But research led by Ruth Stamper, a doctoral candidate from the <a href="https://www.ku.edu/">University of Kansas</a>, shows promising tactics that could help mediate this divide, produce sustainable local agriculture, and foster stronger community engagement. 

Stamper talked to farmers in Missouri and Kansas about working to create sustainable local agriculture and found it be a powerful meditative tool within the farming community. 

The farmers she spoke to voiced a common goal of wanting to create or enhance sustainable local food systems and this helped bring together <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/severe-drought-plagues-north-dakota/">farmers</a> with differing views.

“They were coming together to build these local food networks, to educate and produce consumers for their products. They shared practices and how they were educating themselves, creating this space where they are building relationships that haven't necessarily developed before,” said Stamper. 

Religious differences were found to be one of the biggest dividers within local farming communities, as long time family farmers were surveyed as holding conservative Christian values and seemingly leery of neighboring farmers who presented themselves as progressive environmentalists or members of the LGBT community. 

"The local farmers all have the same kind of end goal in mind, even though they were coming from two different ideologies," said Stamper. 

Because local community efforts to produce sustainable agricultural practices are an important part of combating climate change, finding ways to bridge ideological disparities will be key in creating greener communities. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Local food systems bridge the political divide, help conservation

Environmentalists trying to implement greener community farming practices sometimes face...

Climate skeptics are often considered either incapable or unwilling to grasp the reality of climate change. But now, an ongoing study is providing other explanations for why some people still deny climate change.

Jacob Lipsman is a <a href="https://www.ku.edu/">University of Kansas</a> doctoral student in Sociology. His research is exposing economic, social, and cultural influences that may cause communities and individuals to deny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/report-reveals-climate-change-us/">climate change</a>.

"The most obvious example of this is the instance of an individual who works for an industry, such as in oil and gas production, that may be negatively impacted by regulatory policy," said Lipsman. "This also functions on the community level; for instance, in Southeast Louisiana, oil and gas represents a disproportionate source of revenue for coastal parishes."

Climate change has already had an undeniable impact on Louisiana. The state has lost over 1,800 square miles of land to coastal erosion, an area equivalent to the size of Delaware.

"This land loss has major impacts on communities both directly in terms of increased flood vulnerability and indirectly through potentially decreased economic productivity," said Lipsman.

Lipsman investigated Plaquemines and St. Bernard, two Louisiana parishes adjacent to the mouth of the Mississippi River. He surveyed residents to understand their views on environmental threats. Lipsman examined any links between these perspectives and local actions taken to address coastal restoration issues in the region.

So far, the study has revealed that residents of the parishes have exceptional environmental awareness despite widespread disbelief of climate change. For example, Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast is getting major local support in Southeast Louisiana. This $50 billion dollar plan will encompass hydrologic restoration and shoreline protection, among other projects.

Lipsman will present early findings of his research today at the annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.asanet.org/">American Sociological Association</a> in Montreal. He believes this study could help bridge the gap between climate change believers and non-believers. 

"If an individual or a community is resistant to the idea of climate change for economic or social reasons, climate advocates will not be able to effectively communicate with these individuals about climate change simply by presenting more data," explained Lipsman. "By better understanding the processes of climate change denial, climate advocates will be better equipped to have an effective dialogue with individuals and communities that are skeptical of these ideas."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Getting through to those who still deny climate change

Climate skeptics are often considered either incapable or unwilling to...

Currently in the United States, medical marijuana is legal in 28 states and the District of Columbia. About 80 percent of individuals who use medical cannabis do so for pain management. Although medical marijuana use has been increasing across the nation, there is actually little comprehensive information surrounding the benefits and harms of using it for chronic pain treatment.

At this point, scientific evidence is too lacking for there to be any consensus on the safety and effectiveness of cannabis for chronic pain or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently two systematic evidence reviews from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) were published in <a href="http://annals.org/aim">Annals of Internal Medicine</a>.

Researchers reviewed 27 chronic pain trials to assess the benefits and harms of cannabis and cannabinoid products for treating chronic pain in adults. Ultimately, they found low-strength evidence that cannabis helps treat neuropathic pain, and no significant evidence to make any conclusions about medical marijuana’s effectiveness in treating other forms of pain.

The review also found that marijuana use in the general public may lead to increased risk for certain harms, including motor vehicle accidents, psychotic symptoms, and short-term cognitive impairment. 

In states with legal medical marijuana, roughly one-third of patients use cannabis for PTSD symptoms. Despite this, there has been little scientific evidence to support that cannabis assists in treating PTSD and doesn’t cause any harm.

In their review, researchers found insufficient evidence to form any conclusions on the efficacy of cannabis in the patient population studied. However, one of the largest observational studies of veterans with PTSD found minor but significant worsening of symptoms in patients who continued or started cannabis use when compared to patients who had never used or stopped using cannabis during the study.

In an accompanying editorial from <a href="https://www.vanderbilthealth.com/psychiatrichospital/">Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital</a>, the author states that these findings are very similar to the findings of other respected organizations, which suggests a growing consensus in the field. In the end, there is little high-quality evidence available to form any conclusions about the efficacy of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-treats-migraines-better/">cannabis</a> in treating pain and PTSD. 

Despite what has been found – or not found – in research, it is unlikely that states will revoke the legal status of medical cannabis. Instead, it should fall upon physicians to study the available research and be able to make educated decisions for their individual patients.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabis treatment for chronic pain, PTSD still lacking evidence

Currently in the United States, medical marijuana is legal in...

Emissions from cars, factories, and cigarettes have been shown to cause many adverse health effects, including causing respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic issues. Residents of areas with high concentrations of pollution, like in urban China, are more susceptible to the impacts of air pollution than in other parts of the world and are working to find ways to lessen the effect.

A recent study looked at increased exposure to air pollution and its impact on health and found that air purifiers successfully reduced the negative effects caused by pollutants. 

A team of researchers from the <a href="http://www.fudan.edu.cn/en/">Fudan University in Shanghai</a>, China examined 55 college students and found that high levels of air pollution created and exacerbated cardiovascular and metabolic issues in otherwise healthy young people.

The researchers also wanted to study the impacts that air purifiers had on the test subjects and gave them alternative treatments of sham and real air purification systems in their dorm rooms. 

“Levels of stress hormones, systolic blood pressure, and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation were significantly lower when using real air purifiers,” Haidong Kan, lead author and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Fudan said. 

The research, which was published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, tested blood serum and urine as the individuals were exposed to increasing levels of fine particulate matter found in vehicle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-co2-emissions-mean-protein-deficiency-millions/">emissions</a>. The results found increasing levels of stress hormones and notable changes in blood serum metabolites after exposure to the pollution. 

Because previous studies have suggested that fine particulate matter could adversely impact metabolic functions, this study used metabolomics, a method that determines how our body metabolizes glucose and amino acids. 

The study also found that real air purifiers were effective methods of reducing the negative impacts of the increased exposure to PM2.5. 

The study was fairly limited, but was the first to tackle the exact link between air pollution and cardiovascular health. Further studies will need to be completed using this research on a larger, global scale to help confirm just how air purifiers can help reduce the harmful effects of air pollution. 

---

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution causes cardiovascular disease, but purifiers help

Emissions from cars, factories, and cigarettes have been shown to...

A report published today in the <a href="http://www.onlinejacc.org/">Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a> reveals that light to moderate drinking can lower the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and all causes. Heavy drinking, on the other hand, can significantly increase the risk of mortality from cancer and all causes. 

Despite the fact that high <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-abuse-united-states/">alcohol</a> consumption has been linked to a large amount of health issues including cardiovascular disease, moderate alcohol consumption is widely recommended. For this study, the experts analyzed the link between alcohol consumption and risk of mortality from all causes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease in the United States. 

The researchers examined data obtained through the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm">National Health Interview Surveys</a> from 1997 to 2009. Over 333,000 participants were surveyed regarding their alcohol consumption levels and patterns. 

Alcohol consumption patterns were divided into categories including lifetime abstainers, lifetime infrequent drinkers, former drinkers, and current drinkers. The current drinkers were classified as light, moderate, or heavy drinkers. 

Light drinking is constituted by less than three drinks per week. Moderate drinking is

3-14 drinks per week for men and 3-7 drinks per week for women. Heavy drinking is over 14 drinks per week for men or over seven drinks per week for women.

Bo Xi, M.D., is an associate professor at the <a href="http://www.at0086.com/shdu/college.aspx?c=1026">Shandong University School of Public Health</a> and the lead author of the study.

"Our research shows that light-to-moderate drinking might have some protective effects against cardiovascular disease, while heavy drinking can lead to death. A delicate balance exists between the beneficial and detrimental effects of alcohol consumption, which should be stressed to consumers and patients," said Xi.

Over the course of the study, 34,754 participants died from all causes. 8,947 of these mortalities were cardiovascular disease-related and 8,427 mortalities were cancer-related.

The researchers found that heavy drinking in males increased the risk of mortality due to all causes by 25 percent and led to a 67 percent higher risk of death from cancer. These increases were not significantly noticed in women, and there was no association found between heavy drinking and cardiovascular disease mortality. 

Moderate drinking decreased the risk of all-cause mortality by up to 25 percent, and resulted in up to 34 percent less deaths from cardiovascular disease in both men and women. Light drinking had similar results. 

Study co-author Giovanni de Gaetano said that although younger adults should not expect considerable benefit from moderate drinking, "for most older persons, the overall benefits of light drinking, especially the reduced cardiovascular disease risk, clearly outweigh possible cancer risk."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bottoms up! Moderate drinking has considerable health benefits

A report published today in the Journal of the American...

It seems intuitive at this point to say that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trick-heart-thinking-exercise/">exercise</a> is good for you. Vast volumes of research and personal testimonies generally show that exercise leads to benefits such as improved physical fitness (obviously), heart health, and even mental clarity. 

Now, recent research published in the journal <a href="http://www.eneuro.org/">eNeuro</a> finds that exercise improves memory later in life and increases the amount of neuron activity generated in adulthood. The study was performed on rats, but if this is also true for humans, it raises the possibility that exercise early in life may help protect against age-related cognitive decline later.

Researcher Martin Wojtowicz and his team provided a group of young rats with access to a running wheel, while others were in standard cages with no wheel. Beginning at one month of age, the results showed that six weeks of voluntary running was enough to induce a long-term effect on learning and memory of a fear response. This fear response is known to depend on newly generated neurons in the hippocampus in adulthood – exactly what the researchers were testing for.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the activity of adult-born neurons was increased compared to both neurons acquired during development and those of rats in cages with no running wheels. 

These findings support the idea of cognitive reserve, which postulates that the brain uses enriching experiences from youth to compensate for functional declines that occur as a result of age or disease. It’s possible that exercise in early life may help build up this cognitive reserve, helping to delay the crippling symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. If this is true for humans as well, putting added emphasis on exercise during youth may one day benefit us in our old age.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Exercise during youth helps memory in the long run

It seems intuitive at this point to say that exercise...

A recent study used smartphones to monitor the activity spaces of youths between the ages of 11 and 17. GPS data revealed that kids spend less time in their neighborhoods if they live in an area where residents are fearful of crime. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> tracked over 1400 youths living in 184 neighborhoods in Franklin County, Ohio, as part of the <a href="https://sociology.osu.edu/browning-adolescent-health-and-development-context">Adolescent Health and Development in Context</a> study. Kids were given smartphones to carry with them for a week, and the devices reported their location every 30 seconds. 

The researchers found that the adolescents spent an average of one less hour per day in neighborhoods perceived as unsafe compared to kids from neighborhoods thought to be safe. In high-poverty neighborhoods, there was a higher fear of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-criminal-court-will-now-focus-environmental-crimes/">crime</a>. 

Christopher Browning is a professor of Sociology and the lead author of the study.

"It is clear that kids who live in high-poverty areas are spending less time in their neighborhoods and that is linked to a collective fear of crime," said Browning.
"This has never been tested before with GPS data that tracks movements on a minute-by-minute basis."

The study showed that the children spent around 52 percent of their waking hours at home, 13 percent in their neighborhoods, and 35 percent outside of their neighborhoods overall.

The caregivers of the adolescents were asked to rate how fearful they were to walk in their neighborhoods. The caregivers’ ratings showed no significant connection to how much time their kids spent close to home. However, the combined fear ratings of all the caregivers who spent time in a particular area strongly corresponded to the amount of time kids spent in that neighborhood.

"Once enough people stop spending time in a neighborhood because they are afraid, others will withdraw, whether they are afraid or not," explained Browning.

The study explored other reasons why youths in high-poverty neighborhoods spent less time there, such as a lack of schools or community centers. The collective fear of crime was found to be the most likely explanation. 

"Many cities have social services like recreation centers that are targeted for disadvantaged neighborhoods," said Browning. "But our results suggest these amenities may be underutilized because young people are withdrawing from the neighborhood. Whether they are afraid to go there or just following their friends elsewhere, young people spend less time in disadvantaged neighborhoods."

The research will be presented by Professor Browning today in Montreal at the annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.asanet.org/">American Sociological Association</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fear affects where kids spend their time

A recent study used smartphones to monitor the activity spaces...

A new study of American workers surveyed over 3,000 adults who participated in the RAND American Life Panel, finding that the American workplace is both physically and emotionally taxing – much to the non-surprise of many American workers.

The survey was across a nationally representative, computer-based sample of people from all over the U.S., and was fielded in 2015 in an effort to collect information regarding working conditions and job characteristics in both white and blue-collar jobs.

Conducted by investigators at the <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND Corporation</a>, <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/">Harvard Medical School</a>, and <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a>, this was one of the most in-depth surveys ever done to analyze the conditions of the American workplace. In general, the study found that American workers are frequently experiencing unstable work schedules, hostile social environments, and unpleasant and even hazardous working conditions.

However, in spite of these negative aspects, many workers have a certain level of autonomy in their job and the majority feel confident in their skill set. Many report that they also receive social support at their places of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-work-family-conflicts/">work</a>.

White-collar works were the most likely to say that they feel they have little time to do their job, and one-in-four of all workers surveyed shared this sentiment. Furthermore, roughly one-half of those surveyed said that their work frequently interrupted their personal lives outside of work hours. Many workers report adjusting their personal lives to accommodate their work, but one-third say that they are unable to adjust their work schedules to attend to personal matters – this sentiment was shared particularly amongst women in the workplace.

“I was surprised how taxing the workplace appears to be, both for less-educated and for more-educated workers,” says Nicole Maestas, lead author and an associate professor at <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/">Harvard Medical School</a> as well as an adjunct economist at <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND</a>. “Work is taxing at the office and it’s taxing when it spills out of the workplace into people’s family lives.”

Even though telecommuting has grown rapidly in recent years, 78 percent of workers still report that they are required to be present at their workplace during business hours – and one-third of workers complain that they have no control over their actual schedule. Just over half say that they don’t work the same number of hours on a day-to-day basis.

Despite all those time-consuming human resource training videos, over half of Americans say the experience unpleasant and potentially hazardous working conditions. A “disturbingly high” fraction of workers – almost one-in-five – report working in a hostile or threatening social environment. 

The report also looked at how preferences change among workers as they get older. Younger workers are less likely to value their ability to control how they go about their work and the pace of their work. Older workers are less likely to have a degree of mismatch between their desired and actual working conditions.

This report contains much more information on workplace conditions and American workers’ general feelings about their jobs. The full, comprehensive report can be read in its entirety at the <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND Corporation</a> website.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: American workplace physically and emotionally exhausting

A new study of American workers surveyed over 3,000 adults...

People with higher incomes get more exercise – on the weekends. Despite high-intensity exercise a couple days a week, however, they’re more likely to spend time in sedentary activities.

At least, those are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>, <a href="http://www.gsu.edu/">Georgia State University</a> and <a href="https://www.uth.edu/">University of Texas Health Science Center</a>. 

The scientists used activity monitors to track how much physical activity study participants were getting on a daily basis. They reported a correlation between income and daily activity. 

"Our findings pertaining to income and the 'weekend warrior' effect underscore the importance of tailoring the physical activity message to reflect the constraints of both low and high income individuals," said Dr. Kerem Shuval of the American Cancer Society, who co-authored the study. 

Study participants earning lower incomes got less high-intensity physical activity, but also spent much less time in sedentary activities. 

Low-income individuals were less likely to work in office jobs or other sedentary fields, but they also had less access to gym facilities or park space, as well as less flexible schedules. Those earning higher incomes could exercise more easily, but were more likely to have office jobs and sedentary lifestyles.

But studies using the activity monitors have found that regardless of income, fewer than 5 percent of American adults get the recommended amount of physical activity each week. 

"To meet guidelines one can engage in 150 minutes of weekly moderate intensity activity over a 2 or 3-day period rather than 7 days, for example. This can be achieved over a long weekend, a message we may want to convey to those pressed for time,” Shuval said.

Following these exercise guidelines can help to reduce the risk of a number of preventable illnesses and health conditions, according to the researchers.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0091743517302803">Preventive Medicine</a>.  

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Higher incomes connected to more exercise, less movement

People with higher incomes get more exercise – on the...

As we age, we begin to see a decline in cognitive function and brain plasticity. Brain plasticity, or brain flexibility, refers to our brain's remarkable way of adapting and changing in reaction to internal or environmental factors. Brain plasticity is crucial to early development and is part of our cognitive ability to learn and transition between different concepts we are introduced to as we age. Through aging, we lose brain plasticity, and our brain’s ability to repair itself or adapt to new environmental factors is hindered. 

Reversing the effects that aging has on brain plasticity and cognitive functions could lead to life-saving treatments for stroke victims and victims of severe brain injuries. 

A study from the<a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/"> University of Utah Health </a> discovered a gene in mice that actually reversed aging effects on brain plasticity and restored the brain to youthful flexibility, allowing the mice to adapt to external factors and recover quickly from changes in input. 

Researchers found that a single gene, called Arc, played a crucial role in maintaining and restoring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taste-buds-wired-brain/">brain</a> plasticity.

The research team examined how Arc was involved in a window period of brain plasticity in mice. This window is also present in humans and explains why we are sometimes able to correct certain conditions like a lazy eye in early childhood but not later on. The inflexibility of the brain makes these corrections impossible as we age. 

The researchers discovered that mice without the gene Arc never went through this window period. So even early on, some of the mice lacking the gene could not adapt or recover from environmental or input changes the way those mice with the window and gene could. 

“It's exciting because it suggests that by just manipulating one gene in adult brains, we can boost brain plasticity,” said Dr. Jason Shepherd, the lead researcher and Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Utah Health. 

This exciting discovery focusing on a single gene will open up further studies that will test the reactions to the gene in humans to see if they mirror the results in mice. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists can now reverse the effects of aging on the brain

As we age, we begin to see a decline in...

Taboo words, or terminology that is forbidden by society, provokes responses in people that range from increased heart rate to decreased attention and memory. A new study suggests that the reaction of the body and mind to taboo language depends largely on the situation and the nature of each individual.

Previous studies did not capture the impact of taboo language in real-life circumstances. Instead, researchers analyzed psychological and physiological responses to isolated words. Kiel Christianson is a professor of Educational Psychology at the <a href="http://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> who led the current study. 

"In the real world, taboo words are uttered or written by people in specific situations," said Christianson. "Depending on the identity of the speaker and the appropriateness of the situation in which they say it, a given taboo word may have stronger or weaker psychological and/or physiological effects on the listener."

Christianson and his team performed assessments on participants as they read sentences containing swear words. Eye-tracking software was used to monitor each individual's attention levels and memory levels.

80 participants read a series of sentences that depicted "saints" or "sinners.” These figures represented people viewed as likely or unlikely to use taboo words, and were placed in circumstances where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-times-value-self-expression-swearing-proves/">swearing</a> could be distinctively viewed as appropriate or inappropriate.

Prior to the observation, participants had completed a survey that revealed their feelings toward swearing. This predetermined attitude was used to gauge the likelihood an individual would be offended by profanity. The assessment also helped establish the circumstances under which each person may view swearing as acceptable.

"The eye-tracking software allowed us to see where and for how long readers' attention was directed," Christianson said. "According to binding theory, one of the two popular theories about taboo words' effects, participants' recall should have improved when they read sentences containing taboo words. However, according to global resource theory, the other current popular theory, their memory should have been poorer when a sentence included a taboo word."

The study revealed that the readers paid more attention to taboo language. Context was found to be particularly important to the readers when saints used swear words in appropriate situations, and participants focused more energy on reading both the sentence and the taboo word itself. In these cases, their accuracy in recalling the probe words improved.

"Taken together, the results seem to support both global resource theory and binding theory, but only to an extent," explained Christianson. "Our finding that a taboo word draws attention - either at the word or sentence level - when a 'saint' utters it in a taboo-appropriate situation is not accounted for by either theory.” 

For a second study, readers were given a heads up at the beginning of each sentence where a taboo word was about to appear.

"Participants' memory and attentional resources were diminished as their attention was increasingly allocated to the taboo word," Christianson said. "Conversely, as their likelihood of taking offense decreased, the details became more memorable due to the emotionally conditioned but nonthreatening taboo word. An utterance’s shock value rises as a function of situational factors and an individual audience member's propensity for offense."

Since neither binding theory was fully proven or disproven by this particular research, Christianson proposed combining them into a new theory called situated speaker-hearer individual difference theory. The findings of the study are published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/acta-psychologica">Acta Psychologica</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Impact of bad language depends on the context

Taboo words, or terminology that is forbidden by society, provokes...

A new study suggests that staying unemployed is a better alternative to accepting a job that is stressful or does not pay well. Researchers found that individuals who transitioned into low quality work from unemployment had elevated risks for a range of health problems.

The report, published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ije">International Journal of Epidemiology</a>, also indicates that job quality plays an important role in a person's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/online-food-shopping-healthy/">health</a> and overall wellbeing. This contradicts previous research which concluded that employment promotes a better quality of life than unemployment. 

The experts set out to evaluate the connection between re-employment and chronic stress related biomarkers. More specifically, they wanted to establish the health effects of transitioning into good quality and poor quality jobs, and compare the results to those of unemployed individuals.

Surveys of British residents who were unemployed during 2009- 2010 were followed up on in 2010-2011 and in 2011-2012 for physiological stress markers and self-reported health. The data was collected from <a href="https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/">Understanding Society</a>, a UK Household Longitudinal Study which began in 2009 and included over 100,000 people. 

Among the participants in the longitudinal study, 10,175 gave a blood sample with information on at least one biomarker that the team utilized for the current research. The experts used a total of 12 biomarkers including measures of cholesterol, triglycerides, pulse, and blood pressure to construct their allostatic load index. This index represents the physiological consequences of being exposed to chronic stress.

Job quality was factored into the analysis as one of five possible work-related variables. These variables included low pay, job insecurity, control, satisfaction, and anxiety.

The study revealed that formerly unemployed adults who transitioned into poor quality jobs had higher levels of chronic stress related biomarkers compared to those who remained unemployed. Adults who had transitioned into poor quality work had the highest levels of biomarkers, while adults who transitioned into good quality jobs had the lowest levels of biomarkers. 

Re-employment did not lead to an improvement in physical health, but good quality work was linked to an improvement in mental health scores. There were no differences in mental health scores between those who engaged in poor quality work and those who were unemployed. 

"Job quality cannot be disregarded from the employment success of the unemployed," said lead author Tarani Chandola, professor of Medical Sociology at the <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>. "Just as good work is good for health, we must also remember poor quality work can be detrimental to health."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

When not having a job is healthier than having a bad job

A new study suggests that staying unemployed is a better...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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